NATO Poland base may be prepared for blitz against Russia

NATO’s Europe commander advocates stockpiling a base in Poland with enough weapons, ammunition and other supplies to support a rapid deployment of thousands of troops against Russia, British media reported.

General Philip Breedlove’s idea would be presented to members of
the alliance at the upcoming NATO summit in Wales in September,
according to The Times.

The general told a briefing in Naples this week that NATO needed
“pre-positioned supplies, pre-positioned capabilities and a
basing area ready to rapidly accept follow-on forces.”

Several locations for the future stockpile are planned, with the
Multinational Corps Northeast, a base in Szczecin near the
Polish-German border being the leading contender.

“It would be a 24/7 fully functioning headquarters that
forces could quickly fall in on to respond rapidly when
needed,” the British newspaper cites a source familiar with
the expected proposition as saying.

Breedlove has been advocating a build-up of NATO assets in
Europe, particularly Eastern Europe, in the wake of the Ukrainian
crisis in the secession of Ukraine’s Crimea to Russia. The
alliance has already strengthened its presence in the Baltic Sea
and the Black Sea and deployed additional military aircraft in
Eastern Europe. It said the moves were needed to boost the
confidence of eastern NATO members in the alliance’s ability to
protect them from Russian aggression.

The stockpiling of supplies is just a step short of a permanent
massive deployment of foreign NATO troops in Poland. The alliance
says it is needed for a rapid response to a Russian incursion,
although Russian generals would probably view this as a possible
preparation for a blitzkrieg attack on Russia.

Moscow considers the build-up of NATO troops in Europe as part of
a hostile policy aimed at placing the alliance’s military
resources closer to its borders. Russia’s current military
doctrine allows the use of all weapons in its possession,
including tactical nuclear weapons, in response to a conventional
force attack on Russia.